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California is approaching a crucial turning point. Next year, many of our strongest legislators on important issues like the environment are leaving the State Legislature due to term limits, including our current Assemblymember, Nancy Skinner.

Assemblymember Skinner has been an outstanding leader on the environment, on climate protection, the State budget, and many other essential issues. Her absence will be a significant loss to our community and to our Assembly District, a District with a long tradition of representation by strong progressive and environmentalist public officials.

So we need real leadership in Sacramento this next decade. We need leaders who will recommit California to a strong future for our environment, our schools, and our community.

And that is why today I'm announcing that I will be a Democratic candidate for California State Assembly in the 15th District in 2014.

Please contribute to my campaign for the Assembly today.

I’m writing to you first because I’ve known I could count on you—and I’m so thankful for it—not just to stand with me, but to stand up for the values we both hold dear. Your continued friendship and support will mean so much as we begin this campaign.

An open Assembly seat doesn't come along often, so this promises to be an incredibly competitive race.

Let's get this campaign off to a strong start.

Please click here to make a generous contribution to my Assembly campaign right now.

My experience makes me uniquely qualified for this office. I’ve worked to protect our environment, clean up our air, support working families, and create jobs. I have a deep commitment to education, to social justice, and to improving the lives of those I serve. My values reflect the progressive values of our District.

I’m currently serving my second term as an elected Boardmember at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), the governing body that ensures clean, reliable water in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. In 2013, I was elected Board President.

My work at EBMUD led to the development of the first food-waste-to-energy converter in America, which uses cutting edge technology to transform food scraps into clean energy. At EBMUD, I’ve helped double water conservation projects, protect water quality, and expand solar energy projects, and I’ve fought to provide a safety net for low-income households, so the most vulnerable among us can afford water, which I consider a civil right.

I also serve as Government Affairs Director at Breathe California, an organization fighting for clean air. I’m currently leading Breathe California’s efforts to respond to the Richmond refinery fire by co-sponsoring a Senate bill to increase penalties for large air pollution violations. And I’m working with community groups to press for reforms that require refineries to conduct safety audits and install safer technology.

As former Chair of Sierra Club California, I led the organization's efforts to pass environmental legislation through the State Legislature, and represented Sierra Club as a delegate to United Nations Climate Conferences throughout the world, where I urged the United States and other countries to adopt strong greenhouse gas reduction goals.

And as a proud member of the LGBT community, I have worked to elect LGBT candidates in the Bay Area and address health disparities in the LGBT community.

In the Assembly, I’ll put my experience to work for you, so we can create good green jobs for California and strengthen our climate protection laws.

Help me fight for the environment in the Assembly. Click here to learn more and get involved.

I will bring a long held commitment to working families to the Assembly, where I will fight to expand access to healthcare for working people and communities of color, and reinvest in our schools.

Help me stand up for working people in California. Click here to learn more and get involved.

And in the Assembly, I will fight tirelessly to ensure our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sisters and brothers throughout the state are afforded the equal rights we all deserve.

Please help me get to the Assembly and fight for LGBT equality. Click here to learn more and get involved.

Thank you so much. Your early support means a lot to me, and will make a real difference as we get this campaign off the ground.

I'm really looking forward to working with you on this campaign, and I'll be in touch soon.